







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| I need to wake him up now! | |
| They are both okay for me. | |
| Diego, do you want me to get you anything to eat? | |
| You don’t look like an English teacher to me. | |
| Anyway, this is Cate and her friends from work. | |
| Is one bunch enough for you? | |
| Yeah, it's a very popular restaurant. | |
| Hey, we are back. | |
| Don't you think two forks are enough for us? | |
| I think one room is empty upstairs at the moment. | |
| Is there anything else I can do for you, love? | |
| Do you need to wake up early tomorrow or something? | |
| You were explaining why you are here at 07:30 in the morning. | |
| I'm a web designer. | |
| Set times always stress me out. | |
| He also wants to increase our rent by 50%! | |
| Hi, I don't think it's broken. | |
| I'm sure it's where it always is. | |
| Where is your school, is it in central London? | |
| I think the price is very cheap. | |